During a recent vacation along Washington State's Pacific coast, my family visited this unique lighthouse. Previously during our trip, we had visited Cape Flattery and Destruction Island lighthouses. Each of these lighthouses we had viewed from a distance. When we arrived at the Grays Harbor Lighthouse, we were excited to find out that not only could we walk up to the lighthouse, but we could take a tour inside lighthouse.
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| Grays Harbor Lighthouse |
The tour began in the base of the lighthouse, which also houses a small gift shop. Visitors who take the tour climb the 135 metal stairs that circle the inside of tower. As visitors climb the stairs, they may stop on the various landings that are built into staircase. A tour guide greets visitors as they reach the last landing and gives a brief history of the lighthouse as visitors climb the remaining stairs to the gear room.
The gear room is located just under the lens. The gear mechanisms in this room were once responsible for rotating the lens. After explaining the operation of the gears, visitors are invited to climb up a few final stairs to view the lens.
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| The gears that turned the Grays Harbor light |
The Grays Harbor Lighthouse in Westport, Wa, was lit on June 39, 1898. It was equipped with a third-order Fresnel lens that flashed both red and white. During the early years, light reflected off of rubies was used to produce the red light. But because of the value of the rubies, they kept getting stolen. A form of red plastic was then used, but heat from the refracting lens melted the plastic. Eventually an acceptable red lighting source was found.
A steam-powered fog horn and several other building were built next to the lighthouse. The fog horn was reported to have blasted out to sea every 10 to 20 seconds both day and night. People in the town next to the lighthouse became annoyed by constant noise of the fog horn. They requested the fog horn be removed or changed, but the plea was ignored. Finally the steam shed burnt down and the fog horn was eventually moved further away from the town.
The U.S. Coast Guard automated the Grays Harbor Lighthouse in 1992. The new light, located just outside the lens room, shines the same red and white beams out to sea. Visitors may view the new light from the lantern room. The vast different in size and operation of the two lights is clearly seen.
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| The Grays Harbor automated light |
While in the lantern room, visitors may view the ocean and forest to the west and the town of Westport, WA to the east. During our tour of the lighthouse, my family noticed a picture of a lighthouse next to the ocean. When we inquired about the picture, the tour guide told us that when the lighthouse was originally built, the lighthouse was on the beach. But beach growth, in addition to the growth of new trees, had "moved" the lighthouse inland approximately a half mile inland.
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| Looking out the Grays Harbor Lighthouse towards the Pacific Ocean |
While my family was viewing the lens room, we noticed a thin, dark curtain covering the entire interior of the glass. The tour guide told us that the curtain was to block the sun from shining into the lens room. At one point in the lighthouse's history, a rash of fires broke out all over town. Arson was believed to be the cause at first. But as more fires appeared in random places, the towns people began to look for another answer. It was finally determined that light rays from the sun were being caught and refracted by the lighthouse lenses causing the fires. A curtain was put up in the lighthouse and the fires ceased.
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For more information about the Grays Harbor Lighthouse, visit......
lighthousefriends.com
Westport, Wa Museum
us-lighthouses.com
maritimemuseum-ghlighthouse.org
Lighthouse lenses information
